Methods and apparatus for combining local video content in a digital video stream

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for supporting local video insertion into a content delivery signal are described. PIDs are assigned at a headend to identify locally inserted content. A QAM carrier used for content insertion may be fully utilized between the headend and multiple customer premises. Upon receipt of a content delivery signal the QAM carrier to be used for content insertion is filtered out and, optionally, some packets are recovered. Video from a local source is digitized, packetized, identified by a PID specified by the headend to be used to identify locally inserted content, multiplexed with recovered packets obtained from the QAM carrier to be used for local content insertion and then modulated onto the QAM carrier to be used for local content insertion. The QAM carrier is then combined with the other carrier signals recovered from the content delivery signal to generate a signal including both the locally provided content and the remotely supplied content.

1 . A method of locally inserting digital video content into a digital data stream, comprising:
 receiving control information indicating a QAM frequency band into which locally provided digital video content is to be inserted;   receiving a signal including multiple QAM bands used to communicate digital video content, one of said multiple QAM bands being said QAM band into which digital video content is to be inserted;   filtering out said QAM frequency band into which digital video content is to be inserted, from said signal including multiple QAM frequency bands, to generate a filtered content delivery signal;   combining a locally generated QAM signal, including said locally provided digital video content and corresponding to the QAM frequency band into which digital video content is to be inserted, with said filtered content delivery signal to produce an output signal including said multiple QAM frequency bands used to communicate digital video content.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 recovering video program packets from the QAM frequency band of the received signal which matches the QAM frequency band into which digital video content is to be inserted; and   modulating at least some recovered video program packets and video packets including locally provided digital video content to produce said locally generated QAM signal.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said received control information further includes:
 program identification information identifying program content to be dropped from said recovered video program packets prior to said modulating.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 performing a packet identifier based filtering operation on recovered video program packets to remove packets corresponding to packet identifiers which are indicated in said program identification information as corresponding to program content to be dropped.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said method of locally inserting digital video content is performed at a first customer premise and wherein said program content to be dropped is program content used by customers at customer premises other than said first customer premise. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said control information further includes:
 identifiers to be used to identify locally inserted video content, different identifiers being associated with different program channels corresponding to different local video sources.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein said different local video sources are different analog cameras located at the customer premise at which said method of locally inserting digital video content is performed, the method further comprising:
 receiving a first analog video signal from a first local camera;   performing a video encoding operation on the first analog video signal to generate a first stream of digital video packets; and   identifying packets in said first stream of digital video packets using a first identifier corresponding to a first program channel to be used to communicate video data corresponding to said first local camera.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 receiving a second analog video signal from a second local camera;   performing a video encoding operation on the second analog video signal to generate a second stream of digital video packets; and   identifying packets in said second stream of digital video packets using a second identifier corresponding to a second program channel to be used to communicate video data corresponding to the second local camera.   
     
     
         9 . An apparatus for local insertion of video content, comprising:
 a control module for receiving control information indicating at least a QAM frequency band into which local video content is to be inserted;   a filter module for filtering out said QAM frequency band into which local video content is to be inserted from a received content delivery signal including multiple QAM frequency bands, said filter module generating a filtered content delivery signal;   a combiner module for combining a locally generated QAM signal including locally provided video content and corresponding to said QAM frequency band into which local video content is to be inserted with said filtered content delivery signal to generate an output signal including said locally supplied video content and video content included in said filtered content delivery signal.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a tuner-demodulator module for recovering packets including digital content from the QAM frequency band of said received content delivery signal into which local video content is to be inserted;   a multiplexing module for multiplexing recovered packets with video packets including locally provided video content; and   a modulator for generating said locally generated QAM signal from packets output by said multiplexing module, said locally generated QAM signal including at least some received content and at least some locally generated content.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein said modulator generates said locally generated QAM signal in the QAM frequency band into which local video content is to be inserted. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a packet identifier based filter for dropping packets recovered by said tuner-demodulator module which include packet identifiers which said control information indicates are to be dropped.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a video encoder for generating packets including local video content from video provided by a first local video camera, said video encoder including in packets including video content from said first local video camera, a first identifier indicated by said received control information.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 ,
 wherein said video encoder is also for generating packets including local video content from video provided by a second local video camera, said video encoder including in packets including video content from said second local camera, a second identifier indicated by said received control information.   
     
     
         15 . An apparatus for local insertion of video content, comprising:
 means for receiving control information indicating at least a QAM frequency band into which local video content is to be inserted;   means for filtering out said QAM frequency band into which local video content is to be inserted from a received content delivery signal including multiple QAM frequency bands, said means for filtering generating a filtered content delivery signal;   means for combining a locally generated QAM signal including locally provided video content and corresponding to said QAM frequency band into which local video content is to be inserted with said filtered content delivery signal to generate an output signal including said locally supplied video content and video content included in said filtered content delivery signal.   
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 means for recovering packets including digital content from the QAM frequency band of said received content delivery signal into which local video content is to be inserted;   means for multiplexing recovered packets with video packets including locally provided video content; and   means for generating said locally generated QAM signal from packets output by said means for multiplexing, said locally generated QAM signal including at least some received content and at least some locally generated content.   
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 means for dropping packets recovered by said means for recovering packets which include packet identifiers which said control information indicates are to be dropped.   
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 means for generating packets including local video content from video provided by a first local video camera, said means for generating packets including in packets including video content from said first local video camera, a first identifier indicated by said received control information.   
     
     
         19 . A computer readable medium including computer executable instructions for controlling an apparatus, said computer readable medium comprising:
 instructions for causing said apparatus to receive control information indicating a QAM frequency band into which locally provided digital video content is to be inserted;   instructions for causing said apparatus to receive a signal including multiple QAM bands used to communicate digital video content, one of said multiple QAM bands being said QAM band into which digital video content is to be inserted;   instructions for causing said apparatus to filter out said QAM frequency band into which digital video content is to be inserted, from said signal including multiple QAM frequency bands, to generate a filtered content delivery signal;   instructions for causing said apparatus to combine a locally generated QAM signal, including said locally provided digital video content and corresponding to the QAM frequency band into which digital video content is to be inserted, with said filtered content delivery signal to produce an output signal including said multiple QAM frequency bands used to communicate digital video content.   
     
     
         20 . The computer readable medium of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 instructions for causing said apparatus to recover video program packets from the QAM frequency band of the received signal which matches the QAM frequency band into which digital video content is to be inserted; and   instructions for causing said apparatus to modulate at least some recovered video program packets and video packets including locally provided digital video content to produce said locally generated QAM signal.